Ferrari California T – a 560 hp return to turbo power

More than two and a half decades on, it’s a return to turbocharged times for the Prancing Horse – the Ferrari California T is set to make its debut in Geneva, wearing a new V8 and forced induction.

The new direct-injected eight-cylinder engine has a smaller displacement, at 3.9 litres to the current car’s normally-aspirated 4.3 litre GDI unit, but the twin-scroll turbo lump turns out 560 cheval vapeur (or 552 hp, if you prefer) at 7,500 rpm and 755 Nm at 4,750 rpm compared to the existing unit’s 490 hp and 505 Nm. In terms of torque, that’s a 49% hike in output.

Performance figures for the 1,625 kg machine include a 316 km/h top speed and a 0-100 km/h time of 3.6 seconds (0.2 seconds better than the current F149, which was given an update in 2012), and it takes just 34 metres to haul up from a hundred to a complete stop. All this, with improved fuel economy (by 15%) to boot.

The California T dresses up the 2+2 design’s shape with new styling cues – fresh items in front include the headlamps, front grille and intakes, while the rear features a new triple-fence diffuser and quad exhaust layout.

Mechanical changes include a new steering box that improves response and reduces wheel activity as well as a revised suspension – the California T rides on new springs and latest-generation Magnaride dampers that respond 50% quicker. Combined with body motion accelerometers, the setup reduces roll and pitch for more precise handling.

Also on, the latest evolution of the company’s F1-Trac traction control system, and the CCM3 carbon-ceramic braking system features new composite discs and pads.

New interior bits include a Turbo Performance Engineer (TPE) capacitive display that sits between the two air vents in the centre of the dash, as well as a new infotainment system and high-res 6.5 touchscreen.

The Ferrari California T will make its debut with two launch colours, these being Rosso California, an intense, deep new red inspired by classic Ferraris, and Blu California.

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

Does 0.5m even matter when you drive a GT cruiser such as this? For all the best that Ferrari can offer in terms of specs, you can go for a 458 anytime buddy. At least that can satisfy you in every way minus the gentlemen’s relish.

When someone saw the california running a test sounding like a turbo engine, everyone though Ferrari is doing some illegal testing for their F1 aspirated v6 turbo engine.. Now this new California T answers all doubt about Ferrari credibility..

Ferrari has left Turbo for soo long. But when F1 started to use turbocharged engine for season 2014, it’s not weird to see Ferrari to begin experimenting and adapting modern turbocharged engine into their production cars.

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